U.S. health care leaders are concerned about the potential impact of President Trump’s tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada on the availability of critical medical supplies. In a letter to the president, the American Hospital Association asked for exceptions to current and proposed tariffs for medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
“Despite ongoing efforts to build the domestic supply chain, the U.S. health care system relies significantly on international sources for many drugs and devices needed to both care for patients and protect our health care workers,” wrote Richard J. Pollack, president and CEO of the AHA. “Tariffs, as well as any reaction of the countries on whom such tariffs are imposed, could reduce the availability of these lifesaving medications and supplies in the United States.”
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The letter specifically cited cancer and cardiovascular medications, immunosuppressives, antibiotics and combination antibiotics that are imported from China. For many patients, even a temporary disruption in access to these needed medications could create significant risk of harm or even death. Carefully planned chemotherapy treatments and antibiotic schedules are essential to giving patients the best opportunity of overcoming their disease. Similarly, the provision of necessary cardiovascular medications must be continuous to preserve heart health. Beyond the use of these finished products, many raw ingredients for pharmaceuticals come from China.
“These are commonly known as active pharmaceutical ingredients,” Pollack wrote. “These chemicals are the most important components of any pharmaceutical manufacturer's supply chain. The United States gets nearly 30% of its APls from China, meaning that these tariffs may also limit the availability of U.S. drug manufacturers to produce critical drugs here in the United States.”
China also is the source of many medical devices. Some are single-use devices designed to protect the patient from infection, such as single-use blood pressure cuffs, stethoscope covers and sterile drapes. Others are small devices used ubiquitously in hospitals, such as anesthesia instruments, cautery pencils, needles and syringes, pulse oximeters and blood pressure cuffs. Disruption in the availability of these instruments would curtail hospitals' ability to perform lifesaving surgeries, keep patients safe from contagion and greatly reduce the ability to effectively diagnose and monitor patient conditions.
“Finally, the protection of our health care workers from infectious diseases is vital to their health and the ability of the health care system to continue caring for patients,” the letter said. “Health care workers need gowns, gloves, face masks, respirators and other equipment, much of which is manufactured in China and cannot be easily replaced by domestic manufacturers.”
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Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
